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Sunday, 27 April 2008

My debutante ball (of wool)

I love the smell of fabric. I have only to walk into a fabric store, close my eyes and inhale to feel that everything is right in the world. I have also been known – though only to myself – to bury my face in a stack of quilting fabric and freeze frame for a few heady moments before getting on with whatever it is I’m planning to create.

And it’s not only the smell of fabric that has this effect on me. Its colour, design, texture, the way it falls… I am more passionate about these things than Third World debt. Embroidery threads, wool, crochet hooks, glass beads, knitting needles (although I haven’t progressed further than scarves and baby booties when it comes to knitting), soft cotton batting and mastering Palestrina stitch all have the same effect.

And so this is my attempt to connect with fellow fibre lovers who, as they read this, find themselves nodding, smiling and feeling that there is another crafty person out there who “gets them”.